Utah Fans Did What For Gary Bettman?!

It's no secret NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not a favorite character.

Everywhere and every arena he shows up to, he gets roundly booed, especially when he has the honor of presenting the Stanley Cup to the championship team.

But not on Tuesday afternoon at Delta Center.

Bettman made a scheduled appearance at the Inaugural Game Press Conference with Ryan and Ashley Smith, then went on the air at the second intermission of the Blues/Kraken showdown on ESPN.

And the fans loved it.

No, really.

When SEG executive public relations manager Caroline Klein introduced Bettman for his appearance at the press conference, he was cheered (except for a couple of renegade fans that gave him the boos).

To the boos, Bettman said, "That's more like it."

Then Bettman trundled his way over to the ESPN set across the plaza, where he was cheered again, this time by a larger group of fans gathered behind him.

Of course, ESPN host Steve Levy couldn't help but jab at Bettman, who told Levy, "you don't hear that everyday."

Levy responded with, "You're new to this game."

However new Bettman might be, he certainly expressed confidence in Utah's ownership. He continually credited the Smith ownership group for putting together the club and its facilities in such a short period of time, just as Ryan and Ashley Smith did in yesterday's press conference.

Related: "Take It All In": Ryan and Ashley Smith Address Media Before Utah HC's First-Ever Game

Utah HC's game with Chicago is at 8:00 p.m., but fans are already gathering on the plaza for festivities and more throughout the night.

For more on it, start here:

Related: It's Game Day! Here's What You Need To Know For Utah HC's Historic Game